The 20 Greatest Action Stars of All Time

13. Jackie Chan

He got his start as a stuntman in Bruce Lee movies, but Jackie Chan had no problems blossoming into an action superstar in his own right, with more than 100 martial arts action movies on his resume. He may be best known in the U.S. for the buddy comedy series "Rush Hour," but the Chinese franchise "Police Story" made Chan a household name in Asia. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Few actresses have racked up as many respectable action roles as Angelina Jolie. Movies such as "Tomb Raider," "Wanted," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "Salt" make Jolie one of the genre's leading ladies. If she weren't so good in other genres (and the competition in this one wasn't so stiff), she might have landed even higher on the list. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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From the wrestling ring to the big screen, "Snitch" star Dwayne Johnson has made a name for himself in the action genre with roles in flicks including "Hercules," "Furious 7" and "San Andreas." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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This American icon is not only one of cinema's original cowboys, but also one of the toughest dudes on film — not to mention, an Oscar winner. You'd be hard pressed to find a Wayne film in which The Duke isn't throwing a punch, drawing his gun and saving the day. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Getty Images)

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From films such as "The Fifth Element," "Ultraviolet" and "The Perfect Getaway" to the "Resident Evil" series, few working actresses are as synonymous with the genre as Jovovich is. If you need a beauty who can be a beast—you go to Milla. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

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He's James Bond without the frills. With high-octane franchises such as "The Transporter" and "Crank," Statham is poised to be the go-to guy if you're looking to crash some cars, blow stuff up and ruin a bad guy's day. He continued to build upon his legacy this year with a role in the action-packed movie "Furious 7." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Denzel may be a serious actor with a truckload of accolades under his belt, but he can throw down the gloves when the situation calls for it. "The Book of Eli" may have been Denzel's best action showing to date, but he's also saved the day in films like "Man on Fire," "Out of Time," "Deja Vu," "The Taking of Pelham 123" and more. And let's face it, who is more intimidating (by saying nothing at all) than Mr. Washington? —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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Ok, so his career might be over now, but an action star list wouldn't be complete without the Road Warrior. As the star of both the "Mad Max" and "Lethal Weapon" series, as well as action flicks such as "Ransom," "Braveheart" and "Edge of Darkness," Mel has certainly earned his spot among action's best. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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He got his start as a stuntman in Bruce Lee movies, but Jackie Chan had no problems blossoming into an action superstar in his own right, with more than 100 martial arts action movies on his resume. He may be best known in the U.S. for the buddy comedy series "Rush Hour," but the Chinese franchise "Police Story" made Chan a household name in Asia. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Few actors take a cinemtic whoopin' (and come back to save the day) better than Nic Cage. This guy's always getting beat up. He ruled the '90s with action films such as "The Rock," "Con Air," "8mm," "Snake Eyes" and "Face/Off" and continues his semi-successful reign over the genre today. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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It's easy to overlook Tom Cruise's impact on the action drama, but his filmography speaks for itself. Cruise's thrilling performances in "Top Gun," the "Mission: Impossible" series, "Minority Report," "Collateral," "War of the Worlds" and "Edge of Tomorrow" are more than enough reason to include him on this list. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

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A hero of the Vietnam War counterculture, Steve McQueen is notable for doing many of his own stunts, including death-defying car and motorcycle chases. Films such as "Bullitt," "The Magnificent Seven," "The Great Escape" and "The Towering Inferno" made McQueen a top draw in the '60s and '70s. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Warner Bros./Courtesy Getty Images)

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There's no denying Smith's drawing power in the action genre. Nearly every one of his action flicks topped the box office on opening weekend, including four films on Fourth of July weekends. His hits include "I Am Legend," "I, Robot," "Hancock," the "Bad Boys" series, the "Men in Black" series and "Independence Day." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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Is Linda Hamilton the first lady of action films? We'd like to think so. While her resume isn't extensive, Hamilton raised the bar for women in the genre as the tough-as-nails mommy, Sarah Conner, in the "Terminator" series. Action-thrillers such as "Dante's Peak" and "King Kong Lives" are just icing on the cake. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

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What could you possibly say about Clint Eastwood that isn't better summed up by a Dirty Harry film. In short, Clint is cinema's ultimate anti-hero and, with respect to Mr. Wayne, may be its most popular (and feared) cowboy. Whether he was up against the good, the bad or the ugly, Eastwood always came to the fight packing heat. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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Before Jackie and Jet, there was Bruce. Lee single-handedly popularized martial arts action films in the United States with films such as "The Big Boss," "Fist of Fury," "Way of the Dragon" and "Enter the Dragon." Not to mention his role as Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. Though iconic in death (at age 32), there's no telling how massive his career could have become if he were still alive. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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You don't need smoke and mirrors to sell this guy as one of the best action stars in history. He's played Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, a blade runner and the President of the United States. In short, he's one of the best ever. Now, get off his plane. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

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An action star on and off the silver screen, Charles Bronson was an aerial gunner in WWII before becoming the toughest of Hollywood tough guys in the 1960s. Bronson starred in such action classic as "The Magnificent Seven," "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Great Escape." He may be best known, however, as the vengeful vigilante crime fighter in the "Death Wish" series—action at its best. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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A former bodybuilder, this Austrian icon is all action. Heck, he even played the last action hero. Arnold's incredible action resume includes genre classics such as "Conan the Barbarian," "The Running Man," "Predator," "Total Recall," "True Lies," "End of Days" and the "Terminator" series. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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He is the undisputed king of the action genre and the greatest action star of all time. From "Rocky" and "Rambo" to "Judge Dredd" and "Cliffhanger" to "Demolition Man" and "The Expendables," nobody oozes the machismo (or takes a beating) like Sly. After 40 years of putting a choke hold on the box office, we salute Stallone by naming him the Heavyweight Champion of action movies. Yo, Adrian. He did it!!! And if he can change. And you can change. Everybody can change! Merry Christmas, kid! —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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